Latest KFF Health News Stories
‘Pastoral Counselors’ Help Fill Mental Health Gap In Rural States
Six states allow these counselors
Wrestling With A Texas County’s Mental Health System
Strong leadership and common-sense budgeting created a model mental health care system in San Antonio.
San Antonio Police Have Radical Approach To Mental Illness: Treat It
With specialized training and a redirection of resources, San Antonio’s police force is taking better care of mentally ill people, keeping them out of jail and saving $10 million a year.
Has Health Law Helped Young People Get Mental Health Treatment? Maybe
Mental health issues like depression, anxiety and substance abuse often start in adolescence, then peak in young adulthood. But for young people who don’t have steady jobs or stable paychecks, getting help can be tough. A popular provision of the Affordable Care Act that took effect in 2010 aimed to make it easier for young […]
To Beat Heroin Addiction, A Turn To Coaches
A one-year pilot project in Gosnold, Mass., provides recovering addicts with daily, sometimes hourly, help from a recovery coach.
Florida Shifts Medicaid Mental Health Strategy
It offers a plan geared to people with serious mental illnesses that will coordinate physical and behavioral services.
Getting Rural Patients Psychiatric Help Fast
Patients in rural hospitals often have to wait days to see a psychiatrist. South Carolina is a leader in turning that around.
ACA Hasn’t Boosted Use Of Mental-Health Care Services In Philly Region
Caregivers blame Pennsylvania’s decision not to expand Medicaid, as well as the continued stigma of seeking such care.
Advocates Worry Conn. Decision Could Undermine Autism Coverage
That state has defined autism behavioral therapy as a type of medical benefit not subject to the mental health parity law, a move that allows insurers more latitude to limit the benefits they offer.
For Women Just Out Of Jail, Health Care Could Be Key To Better Life
Sheriff in San Francisco wants to make sure the 30,000 prisoners who come through the jail system every year have health insurance on the day they’re released.
Parents Of Mentally Ill Adult Children Frustrated By Privacy Law
Even if parents are providing health insurance, they often can’t find out about what’s happening when their adult children suffer from severe mental illnesses.
Cops In Conn. Train In Mental Health 101
The intersection of law enforcement and mental health has been a huge issue in Connecticut since the Newtown shootings. One department is training 20 percent of its officers to handle people with mental illnesses better.
Health Law Requires Medicare To Cover Dementia Evaluation
But an influential panel of experts says there isn’t enough evidence to recommend screening tests for the public.
Nearly 4 Million Seriously Mentally Ill Still Without Insurance
In states that agreed to expand Medicaid, about 3 million people who have those conditions are now eligible for coverage, however the 24 states that refused the Medicaid expansion have nearly millions with severe mental illness without insurance.
UCLA Memory Program Offers ‘Gym For Your Brain’
Games, stories, tai chi and dancing help patients — and caregivers — cope with memory loss
Technology Helps Bridge Gap In Michigan’s Mental Health Care
Overwhelmed mental health professionals are using telephone consultations and other approaches to reach patients in underserved communities.
New Insurance Policies Must Cover Mental Illness
Anyone who buys a plan through the new online marketplaces will find mental health services covered as one of 10 “essential health benefits.”
Doors To Treatment Opening For Poor Illinoisans Struggling With Mental Illness
Federal and state laws expand psychiatric coverage, but some experts fear care will be in short supply.
In Los Angeles, there’s a concerted effort to enroll the homeless into Medicaid, as the federal-state health insurance program opens for the first time to all poor adults.
Promises To Fix Mental Health System Still Unfulfilled
Even for those with the will and drive to pursue treatment, the process remains difficult, frightening and full of holes. On the federal level, little has come from the task forces and promises that followed the Newtown shootings.
